“An open space for the arts in Inca” / ENKI Magazine

Can Monroig, a space open to the arts in Inca.

“Marie Noëlle Ginard and Roberto López-Hinton are the owners of Can Monroig; and at the same time they are also responsible for its restoration. An excellent job, the result of their many years of experience dedicated to the restoration of houses and interior design. After several years dedicated to the decoration and restoration of antique furniture, as well as the recovery of traditional construction elements and materials (clay tiles, stone floors, period doors, stone lintels and columns, etc.) they decided to devote themselves entirely to the complete restoration of houses.
“We have been involved in antiques, decoration and more recently restoration for around 18 years. The restoration of Can Monroig has been a way for us to show how we understand our work on an aesthetic and technical level, but it also says a lot about ourselves. It is a very lived-in, very personal space and I think we manage to convey this.”

          

In the restoration of this house, which was complete and in which it was stripped of all additions - a fact that allowed elements from different periods to be discovered, Muslim, Gothic or Baroque - traditional materials and techniques were used that were also used in their day: adobe, lime and earth mortars... techniques and materials that are now an example of modern construction with sustainable criteria.

Anyone who visits Can Monroig, as soon as they enter, realises that they are in a space with a very special vibe of its own. Something, you don't know what, that makes you feel good and comfortable in it. Its different atmospheres, created as a result of its personal restoration, during which many partitions were removed, resulting in large, open and spacious rooms in which different levels of the house communicate.
During the restoration they discovered some arches that have been left exposed, as well as a Gothic oven, among many other notable elements.

Can Monroig is a house of surprises.

All these elements, added to their experience as interior designers and their important collection of designer furniture and lamps, combined with contemporary art, furniture and doors “customised” by Marie Noélle herself and thus transformed into authentic works of art, give Can Monroig a very personal and unique character.
Can Monroig is their most personal project, after all it is their home and they live there. At the same time, Can Monroig is the best showcase of what these two professionals are capable of doing, which is why they have turned it into a kind of showroom that they open to the public on specific occasions. It is a perfect example of their good work, whether we are talking about restoration or their concern and sensitivity for the arts.
“By showing it we give something of ourselves to others, we open a private and intimate space to the public. Something that is difficult to understand for Mallorcans, who tend to be very jealous of their privacy. Why do we do it? Because we believe that this house is giving us a lot and we want to give it back or share it. It is an architectural, aesthetic, artistic experience… we must give the possibility
to others to express themselves from Can Monroig”.
Their generosity allows them to share this wonder with all of us through the countless events they organize: gourmet dinners, experimental music concerts, book presentations, poetry readings... as well as exhibitions of the most current art, such as video projections, etc. To give some examples, we can highlight the dinners hosted by Chef Jorge Salazar, an Asturian with his own restaurant in the Santa Catalina neighborhood of Palma; or by Andreu Genestra, a Chef of recognized international prestige (now at the Hotel Formentor).
“The initial idea was to bring together a group of people from the cultural, artistic, decoration, etc. sectors and chat a bit over a meal. The good thing was that we mixed people of different nationalities and professions who didn’t know each other.”

If we talk about the different musical performances, we will remember that of Pelusa (Floren Guillén), by the German resident in Berlin Mando, internationally recognized BeatBox specialist, as well as the recent performance of the group L'Équitibriste. One of the concerts worth highlighting is that of Kaum, a duo formed by musicians Silvina Ávila and Jan Gerdes, based in Berlin, a performance that included projections by Pau Caracuel.
If we talk about exhibitions, we have to go back to 2006, when the first exhibition with works by Marie Noélle and Joan Llompart was inaugurated without the renovation having been completed.
They have participated in different editions of lncart, and have collaborated with different art galleries such as lntersecció Art in Palma or Addaya Centre dArt Contemporani in Alaró. In collaboration with this centre they have presented two exhibition proposals, “Metamorfases” by Pablo Fernández Pujol (Cádiz, 1977), and 'Alter Ego” by Gisela Ráfols (Vilafranca del Penedés, Barcelona, 1984), both projects carried out during the different artistic residencies that these artists carried out during 2011 at Addaya.

“What we are very clear about is what we are not: not a gallery, not a cultural centre, not a shop… Can Monroig wants to be a private space that opens up to share experiences and “expressions” with other people. Our professional experiences in restoration or interior design, but also our “expressions”. Our way of understanding life and art.
Can Monroig is not just a more or less pretty house. It is a space that has been lived in while it was being restored and that now wants to convey that art or culture can be everywhere, in the street or in homes. Another way of experiencing it, among small groups, more private, more intimate, in a way that invites relaxed contemplation.”

As it is a private space, and at the same time, as we have said, their home, they do not work with a programme that is months in advance: everything depends on the proposals that come to them, which are many and varied, and how these can fit into their daily life. Whoever wants to, can keep an eye out; in the coming months, who knows, there may be proposals such as performances, readings or concerts again.

It is clear that Can Monroig is much more than a house; it is a cultural oasis in the centre of Inca, and Roberto and Marie Noélle are much more than two restless house restorers or interior designers. With their enthusiasm and effort they are turning Can Monroig into an alternative space of reference in different fields. Something very much appreciated, in these times of hardship, and even more so starting from a totally private initiative. Can anyone give more?

Tomeu Simonet
Director of the gallery Addaya.
ENKI Magazine No. 2, March 2012.